The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in September and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The conspiracy was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.
